& More Fuel on the Fire ~

[Ten]

ooc| As I said I would, I'm going to post the speech in short segments, so characters can interrupt, react, and interject what they think. Interact, interact, interact! Don't just let your cats sit and think to themselves! A real crowd, especially one as undisciplined as this one, murmurs among itself and doesn't stay silent for whoever has the floor.

bic|

Woodstripe walked alongside the wall. Anticipation burned within her, prickling her belly and tying her nerves in ashen knots. She didn't know how anyone would react to this... or if they would listen at all.

The tabby found a part of the wall where a stone protruded toward the inside, providing a heightened platform. She jumped atop it, took a deep breath, and yelled across the enclosure, "My fellow felines! My friends, old, new, and those whom I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting! Listen to me, all cats who are able! I ask that you turn your ears to me and gather close. I am here to speak to you all about an important issue. In fact, with no undue exaggeration, I believe it to be the greatest ideological issue of our time: Clanhood and authority. We here are of diverse opinions and creeds, but I ask that you all take a moment to hear what I have to say. Simply listen, that is all, and you will have my gratitude.

"I am happy to join with you today, so soon after what will go down in post-betrayal history as the greatest step toward Clanhood in the history of our kind. The enclosure has just borne witness to a ten-day experiment, testing what it would be like to live under the authority of a leader. I will give you the names of the participants, and you may make your inquiries to them as to the content of their experiences and their resulting impressions, but please hold off on this discussion long enough that I may complete my appeal. To those listening: you are immeasurably wise and patient. I respect every one of you for lending me your ears. Your thoughts are valuable to me, more precious than water in a drought.

"I know all of you are good cats at heart. I know all of you deserve the best life possible. Consider what I say; so far, is it not all true? Does any one cat deserve less than the cats beside them? Who here deserves more than any other? Should we not all strive for the best?"

Woodstripe turned her broad, brown head, casting a wide-sweeping glance at everyone within earshot. She waited for anyone to speak up. If there were anyone among them who believed in their own singular superiority, they'd be setting their own trap by announcing it.

[Darky [Megan]]

The orange tom's ears flicked as he heard the start of Woodstripe's speech echoing throughout the enclosure. He hadn't anything worthwhile to do - he had not hunted or done much today other than lie in gravel and play with the rocks. He had never been too fond of Woodstripe or even the least remotely impressed with her, but he figured it was as good a way to spend his time as any other. Orangestorm got up from the ground, pelt dusty with grey, and carried himself over to the rock. He idly wondered if he would encounter anyone from the Rebellion here - this would be a good opportunity to recruit more cats into the anti-clan organisation, or perhaps to stage some sort of little plot that would eradicate the idea of a plan once and for all.

For now though, he would simply listen and see what Woodstripe had to say. He sat himself down with an expectant air, and raised his nose. "Well, I'm listening,"

ooc I will probably bring in Redstream and Speckledclaw later on x3

[Reagan]

At the sound of one persistently clamorous voice, Tawnystripe's dark olive eyes shot open. He'd been spending his time laying peacefully on the ground, trying to take a nap before he went out hunting for a meal. He didn't get up immediately. He just tuned one of his oddly shaped ears towards the noise. It only took a few words for him to dismiss it entirely. Cricketbrained, rabble-rousing Clanner, he thought irritably to himself.

The blabbering was almost incessant, and he found it increasingly difficult to go back to sleep and continue his dreams where he left off. With agitation tingling in his chest, he gritting his sharp teeth together. Such a rude awakening was bad enough, but when the noise of this cat's voice wouldn't stop, he found himself clawing at the ground with vexation.

It became increasingly obvious that this she-cat wasn't going to silence herself anytime soon. She was going on about nonsense pertaining to getting a Clan together. That was the absolute opposite of what Tawnystripe would have liked. He was an absolute anarchist, a con, and a loner. He didn't need anyone else, and he didn't believe anyone needed him either. Yet here was this she-cat, interrupting his peaceful sleep with political jabber that he didn't want to hear.

Finally, when he couldn't take anymore, and felt that he couldn't return to sleep as he had already been too far pushed into an awake state, he stood up. He kicked up dust with his paws, and pushed sand into the air. He stood there with his teeth bared, and his fur pricking and standing on end. He growled viciously.

"Would you shut up already?" he yowled as loudly as he could.

[Ten]

Most of the time, Woodstripe was one to take negative comments in stride, but she could not ignore the tawny tom's blatant aggression. She was taken aback. Disquiet prickled under her tabby fur as she hesitated. If she continued with this, starting a real motion for reformation, it might provoke him and other cons to attack. She had leaned back somewhat at Tawnystripe's outburst, and the tip of her tail twitched as she tried not to look concerned, though inside her fears were creeping up on her. This might not work. This may never work. And what would she earn for herself? A few pointless scars, if she was lucky.

Steeling herself, she answered, "No." She had to wet her dry mouth before continuing, avoiding eye contact. "No, I will not 'shut up'." She spoke it like a foreign phrase, a bit beneath her, though she was not meaning to taunt him. She was speaking in his own terms for him, which was her idea of polite civility -- though the tone was, in a mild sense, patronizing, even if she was trying to sound anything but. "I will not step down. I will not cease spreading my message, even if, in this pursuit, I encounter disagreements which lead to violence and further, the taking of my life. This is what I am willing to give. Our futures, and the futures of all our kits, are that important to me. Please, for our own sake, enter into this discussion with me," she requested, drawing confidence from Orangestorm's presence. She wasn't counting on him to offer support her, but he'd been in the experiment. He must understand her to some degree.

"Many years ago," she continued, "such discussion and discourse as we have now would not have been permitted. We would have been silenced. We would have been ordered to carry on with our appointed tasks, paying no mind to challenges to the system nor polite inquiries into whether there might be any means to improve our situation. Recall the Clan we used to be. Our ancestors did as commanded without question out of blind faith and binding tradition. They never chose anything for themselves. They were obedient, thoughtless, gullible, stupid. Now consider. Are we like our ancestors?"

[Darky [Megan]]

Speckledclaw came padding towards the source of the voices, usually heavy stride lightened somewhat in her eagerness to participate. A speech, and possible debate! What a good way to continue her day after a rather satisfying hunt. She'd like to see what Woodstripe had in store for the participants of the Experiment and was rather keen to see old faces.

Then a hostile proclamation was made, and Speckledclaw had hardly settled herself down before she was shooting daggers at the tom who had spoken so rudely. "Go wash out yer mouth with dirt! What kind of a cat would tell a complete stranger who weren't even talking to them to shut up? It's obnoxious fools like you who go round shooting your mouth off at the slightest thing that twists yer tail that cause disputes and fights, else we'd all be sittin' around and discussing things like this properly and being productive." She ended her little tirade with a snarl, claws almost sheathed, riled. Then she remembered herself, and tried to calm down, but the words had already left her mouth.

Orangestorm was admittedly a little taken aback with Tawnystripe's sudden appearance and outburst, but the first thing that occurred to him was that the cat was obviously a con, and therefore a potential member of the Rebellion. Orangestorm briefly considered intervening somehow, but he didn't really want to interact with Tawnystripe, unpopular as he was and in so small a crowd.

[Reagan]

Sneering at Woodstripe's lack of cooperation and what he perceived to be haughty words, Tawnystripe advanced towards her. He wasn't looking to start a physical fight, but if it took claws and teeth to make the Clanner think twice about ever speaking another word, he might consider it. He didn't want this kind of change. He'd spent his life as a lone cat thus far, and he'd be one until his dying breath.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of another she-cat. As she spoke, her words only added fuel to the fire he was feeling. He'd woken up on the wrong side of the nest, and the last thing he needed was this kind of political conflict. No, he didn't want a Clan to form, and he was beginning to wonder what it would take to stamp out the very idea.

He turned to Spottedclaw, viciously. "You can't truly consider what this cricketbrain says to be true? The forming of a Clan would be disastrous. Why shouldn't every cat be in charge of their own life?" he challenged. "You're nothing but an ant to follow this drivel."

Tawnystripe turned back to Woodstripe. "If one needs other cats to help them, and to rule them, then that cat is weak and unworthy of living," he growled. "You speak ill of your ancestors, yet you wish to be like them, do you not?" His ears were down, pinned against his head in a show of aggression. "So I say it again, Clanner -- shut up." He didn't have a full grasp on what the other side meant to do, other than it involving a Clan being formed. That fact alone was enough to trigger his hostility.

[Cloud]

Drabheart was appalled.

Not only at Woodstripe - he more pitied her than hated her - but at his fellow con. How uncivilized. The best way to show the Clanners that they were wrong was not to insult them, but to make them see that Clanhood would cause more strife than peace.

He calmly padded up to the tawny tom, and looked at him with an even gaze.

"Peace, friend. I do not agree with the idea of a Clan either, but insulting a Clanner will not prove our argument any better. What better way to show that our ideas are superior by being above such petty things as insults?"

---

Dottedfoot definitely wanted to leap in and support Woodstripe, but the presence of her little brother made her wary. What if he recognized her? Granted, they'd only met once. But him being there would only make her feel confused and awkward...especially if somecat made the connection that they were related, if only by a single parent.

The gray-mottled feline shook her head, scolding herself. She was being as foolish as a kit; this wasn't about sibling rivalry, this was about the future of the enclosure. Her own personal struggles could be put aside for later.

Slowly the middle-aged she-cat dragged herself to where the venerable tabby was speaking.

OOC: My other cats will trickle in as well. :3

xD Drabheart sounds like a Buddhist or something. :U Silly Dottedfoot, no one cares about your pain.

[Ten]

After the commotion had died down to some degree, Woodstripe meowed, "Speckleclaw, a pleasure to see you." With this, she offered a demure but polite smile. "I must express my sincerest gratitude for your support. You are a fine warrior of superb loyalty and invaluable skills, and you have my respect.

"However, I do believe you have brought attention to something that requires clarification: I am, indeed, directing my words toward this fine fellow. I am speaking to everyone, including him. My message rings out to all the cats of the enclosure, or that is, all who will listen, which in ideal circumstances would mean us all, but out of pragmatism I have no choice but to concede that even with the purest of intentions, there are some cats who are otherwise occupied at the moment and cannot heed the call, through no fault of their own. In any case I will reiterate that the point here, of course, is that I mean to exclude no one."

It was clear that Woodstripe felt more confident now that a formidable fighter like Speckledclaw had graced them with her presence, and she was more self-assured as she continued, with an indirect answer to the male con's assertions. "Truly, there is strength, not weakness, in unity. There is freedom, not constraint, in fellowship. Please do not mistake my meaning. Far be it from me to suggest that we harm ourselves with old mistakes. I believe that it is possible to learn from these mistakes, but not in the way most commonly supposed, and given time for me to present my points in the prepared order, you will all hear what it is I am implying with that remark. Now, if you please, answer me this: Are we, in accordance with the foolish characteristics previously described, in demeanor and intellect, a perfect resemblance to our ancestors?"

This was for any of them to answer. She was not overt in saying so, but she would have preferred for an answer to come from Speckledclaw or Dottedfoot over there, or even this apparent con who had made an attempt to pacify Tawnystripe. Tawnystripe himself, she feared, would reply by overlooking the question and making some trite accusation, which, although not likely to persuade onlookers to his side, would neither be conducive to her aims.


ooc: I hope lurkers don't think all my characters talk like this. xD

[Reagan]

Angered with the barrage of cats who were against him, Tawnystripe wondered momentarily if it was better to stand down than lose his pride by continuing the argument. He just didn't want Woodstripe's words to ring true to anyone. Everything about a Clan jeopardized what he considered to be freedom. With his politics so threatened, he could barely think to try to form an argument on some convincing level. He was never a particularly well-mannered cat, and was prone to crass outbursts and insults before well structured arguments.

His tail lashed as he listened further to what Woodstripe had to say. He was concerned that her eloquence would have the potential to turn cats to her side. When she asked her question, he turned away, ignoring it. Drabheart might have had a point when he mentioned that insults weren't going to get their side any respect, and Tawnystripe was almost purely convinced that if he opened his mouth, nothing but rude words would come out.

He muttered, "Fine, go ahead and talk..." He fought the urge to call her a windbag with his all strength. "See what difference it makes," he added. No one's going to listen to her. Why would they want to sacrifice their freedom for such a foolhardy dream? he tried to convince himself, but he wasn't so sure. However, if it came to it, he would fight the establishment of a Clan with his teeth and claws.

[f i x a t e]

L I C H E N F U R ~

[/font]
Sorry, didn't they tell you? I don't come with a warning label.[/color][/right]Lichenfur lounged nearby, flicking her tail in annoyance at the disruption of her peace. She listened on as an outspoken she-cat attempted, and succeeded, in gathering an entourage of cats, then presented them with the proposition of creating a clan. Who was this Clanner, and where did she get the nerve to bring forth such preposterous suggestions? Was she looking for a fight? Because things around here could escalate fairly quickly, spiraling out of control.

This could fun to watch, Lichenfur thought to herself. At the mention of a so-called “experiment”, more and more questions began to form in her head. Why would cats put themselves in such a… degrading position? The idea alone of being led by a single cat caused her to turn up her nose in disgust, but she listened on, absorbed by the abnormal speech. Clanners rarely came forward in such a flagrant manner, seeking the attention of everyone. It was a risky move on the she-cat’s part, and could easily end up being something she’d regret if one of the Cons got too riled up.

Her irritation and confusion transformed into entertainment as a brown tom yowled in an endeavor at silencing her. As tempers flared and an argument arose, her whiskers twitched in amusement. Somewhere along the line, the original she-cat referred to their ancestors, tacking them with traits like “thoughtless” and “gullible”. With this, Lichenfur agreed, but did not see the point that the she-cat was trying to get across. These were the same ancestors that lived in a Clan, under the control of a leader, right? Wasn’t she proposing the same thing? Interested in where the unnamed she-cat was going with this bold statement, Lichenfur rose to her feet heavily, ignoring the dust that now intermingled with her silver-tabby coat. She lazily stretched her short, stocky body, and opened her maw into a bored yawn, before advancing closer to the group.

She stayed on the edge, keeping other gathering cats away with a sharp glare. She refused to acknowledge the she-cat with so much as a glance, but her flicking ears gave away that she was listening intently. As the she-cat brought forth the question about them being similar to their ancestors, Lichenfur’s interest peaked. Would she finally get the clarification she craved? But as silence continued to hang in the air after the unanswered question, Lichenfur’s patience wore thin. She wanted to answer the question, but was also interested in the opinion of the other cats that were gathered.
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